July 15 2021
If you are working on a project that requires current control or requires a current sensitive device then you may well be interested in shunt resistors. These are used in many applications where current control is required. A shunt can be defined as any one of several devices that can accept an input charge and prevent that charge from passing through a second device. In electrical engineering, a shunt in electronics is a diode or a combination of two diodes where one acts as a current control diode and the other acts as a current sensitive device that allows current control. The source of the word is from the word 'to shun' which means to follow or turn away from a path.
DC Busbar Shunts are made using a variety of different materials depending on the application that requires them. Some of these are described below. As described below, some of the most commonly found types of current shunt resistors are described in this article. As always when dealing with any type of electronic device, you should check all references material and make sure that you use the correct one as your current measurement accuracy depends greatly on the type of device and its construction.
When measuring current and voltage using current shunt resistors, you need to determine the Ohm value of the wire or cable be measured. One method to do this is the resistance value of current will be determined by measuring the resistance across the shunt contacts as well as the voltage across the shunts. As always when testing a new component, it is best to first charge the component to a specified battery voltage and then connect the component and see if your measurements match up to the specification. In most cases, once you have tested the component you should then return the battery to the charger to ensure that it has been fully charged.
There are two terminal resistors available when testing the current sensing applications. In most cases, the two-terminal resistors are preferred for the current sensing applications. The reason why two-terminal resistors are preferred over one-terminal ones is that they have a greater input resistance and also have better output sensitivity.
The Current Sense Resistor Shunts are usually preferred for the current sense application where high current levels are required. As always, the two types of resistors available are described below. In the first type, known as the high side current measurement configuration, the two terminals are mounted high level which means that the current passing through the unit is directly controlled. The second type of current sensing unit is the two-terminal laser-trimmed current sense unit. These units are designed to only measure high side current levels which are then amplified by the laser within the unit.
All current shunt resistors include four terminals. However, some units include additional terminals. In the example above, the fourth terminal would be installed on the high side. Other units may include additional trays for connecting sensors or probes. It is always better to ensure that you get all the necessary equipment and accessories in place before starting any work. Read more now about shunts at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ayrton_shunt.